Matt Hobar‘s hands have already done plenty of unique things in his life.

They have held and carried babies in underprivileged countries on their way to surgeries to correct facial and cranial issues, such as cleft lips, performed free of charge by his father through his foundation.

They have plucked their way through songs like “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” by Earl Scruggs on the banjo, one of five instruments he plays with his passion for music.

They have also at times gone astray, including one punch that helped dislocate his elbow in his only professional MMA loss, which he later avenged to gain career momentum.

But he’s most proud of the way he can operate his hands these days in his fights.

“When I first started (as an amateur), I didn’t know how to strike,” Hobar told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “I just relied on my wrestling and took people down before I hit them. Now I feel like my striking is at a high level, and I’m hoping to show that.”

His next opportunity comes on Friday, as the former star high school wrestler who is 6-1 as an MMA pro takes on Nelson Salas (4-0) in a 135-pound bout at Legacy FC 19 (AXS TV, 10 p.m. ET) in Allen, Texas. Hobar, a 26-year-old native and current Texan, recovered from a wild college streak to return to a youthful passion for martial arts that was supported by his father’s own history in wrestling.

He has come back from several injuries, including a broken neck (the cause of which remains a mystery to this day) and the dislocated elbow he suffered in August 2012 in his only loss (he went 2-0 as an amateur, as well). He returned to defeat the fighter (Steven Peterson) who beat him in the arm injury fight in his most recent bout, which sends him into this weekend’s show with confidence.

“This is one I need to win,” he said. “If I can beat (Salas), that can set me up for a title fight, and that’s where I want to be.”

Learning around the world

Hobar was born and raised in a comfortable suburb of Dallas, Highland Park. His father, a notable cranial and facial doctor and plastic surgeon in the area, helped instill both Hobar’s interest in sports by getting him involved in wrestling and his wider view of the world by helping him travel.

Hobar’s father operates a nonprofit group called the LEAP Foundation (Life Enhancement Association for People). As part of the group’s mission, he travels throughout the world donating life-changing surgery to residents in underprivileged countries.

For more than 20 years, Hobar’s father has been traveling the world, and Hobar began going along on some of those trips several years ago. He has been to Haiti, Belize and the Dominican Republic, and he hopes to continue making trips.

There have been some emotional moments.

“I remember I was carrying a baby to surgery that had a cleft lip, a facial deformity,” he said. “I took it in, and the doctor team fixed it. Then after, you see the reactions of the parents when they see their children. This woman broke down crying, and she couldn’t believe something like that could happen.

“It just showed me how much we can take for granted here, and it keeps me humble and honest.”

When not traveling with his father, Hobar was experiencing wrestling success. He started the sport at about age 5, and even though he dabbled in judo growing up, it was his focus. He was a state champion as a youth before winning two state championships in high school and notching two All-America honors.

By the time he finished high school, he felt burned out on wrestling, so he deiced to attend the University of Colorado just as a student. Soon, he would be searching for more order in his life.

Overcoming physical obstacles

When Hobar left home to attend college, he strayed from some of the things that kept him disciplined in his athletic career, he said. After a few years, he returned to a small college in Austin, Texas, and wanted more structure in his life.

He had always held a combat sports interest from his days doing judo, so he signed up for jiu-jitsu classes at a nearby gym. After about a year, he was enjoying it enough that he accepted his first of two amateur MMA fights.

His plan to become a pro fighter was sidetracked when, after suffering from neck pains, he visited a doctor. He was told he had suffered a break in one of the vertebra in his neck, though he has never been able to pinpoint exactly when it happened.

“It was crazy because I don’t know exactly how it happened,” he said. “It just had been hurting and I trained through it, but I finally got bad enough that I went to see someone. That’s how I found out.”

He finally made his pro debut in March 2011, and he won his first five fights. His only loss came this past August against Peterson at LFC 13, where he dislocated his elbow in the first round. He felt that Peterson mocked his injury, so he and his manager immediately insisted on a rematch.

When they fought again in December, Hobar beat Peterson by decision. That has provided confidence heading into his fight this weekend, for which he hopes to continue using his life experiences and his variety of skills to keep winning.

“It felt so great to overcome that injury and win (the last fight),” he said. “And I stood for all three rounds, I didn’t really rely on my wrestling. Those were both big for me, and they gave me some confidence going into this fight.”

Award-winning newspaper reporter Kyle Nagel pens “Fight Path” each week. The column focuses on the circumstances that led fighters to a profession in MMA. Know a fighter with an interesting story? Email us at news [at] mmajunkie.com.

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